旧约 - 列王记下(2 Kings)第17章

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser's vassal and had paid him tribute.
But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.
The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods
and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.
The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.
They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger.
They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, "You shall not do this."
The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."
But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God.
They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.
They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal.
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left,
and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.
Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.
The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them
until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires."
Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires."
So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places.
The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima;
the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places.
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.
But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.
You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods.
Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."
They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices.
Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
列王纪下第十七章   第 17 章 

  王下 17:3> 何细亚怎样导致以色列灭国? 

  17:3 这位亚述王可能是撒缦以色五世,他在提革拉毗列色(公元前 727-722 )之后作王。他继续要求以色列向他进贡,以色列的何细亚王决定背叛他,与埃及王梭联盟( 17:4 )。这样做既愚昧又违背神的命令。撒缦以色为了粉碎他的阴谋,率兵围攻撒马利亚三年。不过他在破城之前驾崩,继任人撒珥根二世攻占撒马利亚,乘势灭了以色列国,掳去他们的人民。 

  以色列人被掳 

  王下 17:5-6> 灭国后以色列民的命运如何? 

  17:5-6 这是亚述第三次,也是最后一次入侵以色列(前两次记在 15:19 与 15:29 之中)。第一次攻击仅仅是对以色列的警告──要向亚述进贡、不可背叛,免得再受攻击。他们应当明白这是神藉亚述来教训他们,从而回转归向神。但他们既没有学到功课,神就容许亚述人再次入侵,并从北部掳去一些人民。然而他们仍不晓得遭灾是他们离弃神的缘故。如此亚述三次来犯,最后将以色列国完全消灭,掳去大多数的人民,并将异族人安置在以色列地。 

  神言出必行(参申 28 ),祂已经给以色列充分的警告了,他们明知后果,仍不理会神,因此落得和约书亚时代被消灭的各异教民族同样的下场。他们变成败坏之民,背弃了神对他们原定的旨意──尊敬祂并成为世界的光。 

  列王(及被掳)时代的众先知 

  王下 17:7-17> 以色列人被掳的祸根是什么?我从中所得教训是…… 

  17:7-17 耶和华审判以色列民,因为他们效法列国的歪风,敬拜假神、随从异俗、任意而行。创立自己的宗教是危险的,而人都自私自利,像以色列人那样为自己而活,结果受神惩罚。信从神虽有时艰难痛苦,但是我们应当深思悖逆会有什么后果。是选择为神而活?或是为自己而死?应当立志做个属神的人,遵祂命令而行,甘付任何代价。神对你的看法,比周围的人对你的看法远为重要(参罗 12:1-2 ;约壹 2:15-17 )。 

  王下 17:9> 明知神是无所不知的,为何我还在暗中犯罪呢? 

  17:9 以色列的败亡是因为公然犯罪,又在暗中行恶。他们不但公开认同恶事、拜偶像,暗地里更加堕落。暗中犯的罪,是我们不愿意别人知道的恶,因为那是使人难堪或显示我们有罪的事。但是暗中犯的罪绝对瞒不过神;其实暗地里抗拒神跟公开悖逆一样,都是后患无穷的。 

  王下 17:13-15> 以色列咎由自取的下场,告诫我们在神怜悯时…… 

  17:13-15 以色列人效法不敬拜真神的邻族,沾染了偶像崇拜的恶习,忘记了顺服神的话语是何其重要、何等有福,使君民同陷入罪的泥坑。神虽一再差遣先知来警告,他们却硬着颈项,不听神的呼召回转。 

  神的忍耐与怜悯远超我们的想像,祂希望不停地提醒我们回心转意。但如果人一味心肠刚硬、冥顽不灵的话,祂的审判必然很快就临到;惟一的生路是尽早回归转向神,免得我们顽梗悖逆,无可挽回。 

  王下 17:17> 有人把信仰与对邪灵邪术的迷信混为一谈,我怎样阐释和见证独一真神呢? 

  17:17 占卜是一种巫术,行法术是求问邪灵。各种巫术、占卜(也可称为“算命的”)与法术皆为神所禁止(参申 18:9-14 ),因为他们不寻求神的大能、祂的律法和祂的话语。先知以赛亚回应这律例,预言从事这类迷信活动的人,都必然被除灭(赛 8:19-22 )。 

  王下 17:23> 今天怎样把先知的话语当作动力?我怎样看待时候近了? 

  17:23 正如神的先知所警告的,以色列人被亚述人掳去。神所预言的事必然会成就。对于信而顺服祂的人,这当然是好消息──对祂的应许能更加坚信不移;对于轻慢神、不顺服神的人则是坏消息。神在圣经所赐下的警戒和应许,最后都要成就。 

  亚述王置异族于以色列地 

  王下 17:24> 撒马利亚人的由来…… 

  17:24 将以色列人迁出,把异族安置在以色列地,是亚述帝国防止叛乱的政策。将掳来之民分散在亚述全境,不让他们团结一致;将异族人置于以色列地则使余剩的人不能保持自己的习俗,难以再团结造反。安置在以色列地的混杂民族,后来被称为撒马利亚人。直到基督的时代,他们都受犹太人轻视(参约 4:9 )。 

  王下 17:27-29> 今天有人崇尚多神,怎样告诉他独一真神的大能与性情呢? 

  17:27-29 以色列地的新移民虽然敬拜神,却没有放弃异教习俗。他们敬拜神只是为免天怒,不是为讨祂喜悦、行祂旨意,乃是把祂当作幸运之符,当作偶像中的一位。现代人也有这样的心态。许多人说信奉神,又不放弃神所遣责的行为,只把神加在我们已有的价值观上。必须让神居首位,我们要用祂的话语来陶造我们的态度与行为。 

  王下 17:29-31> 人妄图造神,下场将怎样? 

  17:29-31 以色列被亚述打败,因为他们不认识独一的真神,不知道要一心信靠神。昔日他们占领应许之地时,神吩咐要除灭异教的余孽,免得他们受诱惑偏离神。他们没有遵从,就自取败亡。随着许多异教民族的移入,带来了更多的假神。──《灵修版圣经注释》